I think I bought more monitor than my computer (or, graphics card) can handle. Everything looks a little pixelated/grainy. My previous 22" monitor died on me, so I replaced it with a 30" so we can watch movies easier on it.
Even the movies look worse on the 30" than they did on the 22".
I run Windows 7, and have an Nvidia GeForce 9200 graphics card. The port on the back of the computer is an HDMI. I am using a converter-cored (HDMI to DVI single-link)
I have ordered that same cord, except as a dual-link high-speed capable. I’m not sure it will help.
When I try to adjust my screen resolution to anything higher than 1280X800, the screen goes black and I see multi-colored lines (bar-code looking gibberish).
Anyone know if I can even get 2560X1600 with this setup?
While previous versions of the HDMI spec supported only up to Full HD (1920x1080), HDMI 1.3+ does support the resolution in question. Trouble is, HDMI is single-link and accommodates the higher resolution using a higher clock rate. Though some claim to have gotten this setup working using custom drivers to force video modes in Windows, it’s really going to take more than just a cable to go from the HDMI port on the back of the computer to the dual-link DVI port on the monitor.
If the monitor support a direct HDMI 1.3+ connection, you’d probably be OK. Given that you’ve already purchased the monitor, I’d suspect you may be better off getting a graphics card with a dual-link DVI output, but I can’t look up the specs of your current card without more info.
As near as I can tell, the GeForce 9200 is a mobile chipset, so I’m thinking you actually have a different 9xxx series card. What’s the actual make/model of your current graphics card?
Without going into the computer case to see, I can pull up the device manager and look at the properties.
This tells me (copy/paste)NVIDIA GeForce 9200
However, looking at the specs for my computer online from places that once sold it, it comes with a GeForce 8200. So I’m not sure why it says 9200.
This is a mini-tower computer. Is it possible that they used a mobile chipset since it’s a mini-tower?
By the way, many thanks for the help thus far. I have a dual-link cable on the way, although it’s an HDMI-to-DVI cable. I read the reviews to make sure it wasn’t a cheapo that has fake pins to mimic dual-link cable.
Saying “I am offended” is telling everyone else that you cannot control your own emotions, and thus you need everyone else to do it for you.
If it’s the original integrated graphics, opening the case won’t help as it’s just a chip on the motherboard that’s likely covered by a heatsink anyway. It could be that you have a slightly different/newer variant of the computer you linked to at Newegg. If the one you have is the same form factor as the one listed at Newegg, it’s actually not a mini-tower. It’s an ultra-small-form-factor, and it is very possible that it uses a mobile chipset.
It doesn’t really matter, though. The problem is the same. A passive HDMI to DVI cable is merely taking the A/V feed from the HDMI port, stripping the audio and other HDMI supported features, and passing along the single-link video feed. It doesn’t really matter how nice the cable is, it’s not going to be able to create a dual-link connection. It’s just a cable.
Yeah, got the dual-link cable today and it was useless. That’s fine though, I still needed a replacement cable since the shell on the DVI portion of the old one was damaged.
I also found out why the graphics card says “9200” but it’s almost impossible to find the specs on this card. It is, in terms of hardware, a GeForce 8200. However, a driver update was released a few years ago that “updated” this card to now say “9200”.
Either way, I’ve seen reports of folks getting at least 1080p out of these cards, if not more than that. But, I cannot get anymore than 1280X800. I can’t even get 1920X1080. It immediately goes to a black screen with colorful bar-codes (looks sorta like an old 1990’s screen saver graphic).
Looks like I’m going to have to upgrade the desktop.
Saying “I am offended” is telling everyone else that you cannot control your own emotions, and thus you need everyone else to do it for you.
1920x1080 might not even be a supported mode for that monitor as it’s a different aspect ratio than the monitor’s native 2560x1600. If the monitor can’t handle on-board scaling, it might just display garbage or screen-test image when presented with an unsupported resolution. If 1920x1200 is an option, you might have more luck. Single link DVI can handle up to 1920x1200@60hz.
Connected via HDMI, that GeForce 8200 is capable of much higher resolution.
You could use the computer’s PCIEx16 slot to upgrade to a new graphics card, but it will have to be a low profile card due to the size constraints of the small form factor case. You might also run into power issues if the power requirements of the upgraded video card exceed the capability of the PC’s power supply.
I actually take that back. I doubt you can get over 1920x1200 over most HDMI connections. While recent revisions of the HDMI spec support up to 4K in theory, I don’t see any video cards on the market that will actually deliver higher than 1920x1200 over HDMI. Higher resolutions are reserved for dual-link DVI and DisplayPort.
Check out the card below for an example of a one that might work with your setup for less than $10.
